With the trade deadline just a few hours away, the Arizona Diamondbacks are looking to acquire an ace pitcher.

The Diamondbacks may have discussed a deal with the Philadelphia Phillies involving Cliff Lee and Justin Upton, according to FoxSports.com’s Ken Rosenthal. Felix Hernandez could also be on the D-Backs’ radar. It’s unclear whether either player is available, however. The Mariners front office has been adamant about keeping Hernandez, and Arizona Diamondbacks owner Ken Kendrick recently said there was a good chance Upton will remain with the team through the deadline. CBSSports.com’s Jon Heyman checked with Seattle Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik, who said he hasn’t changed his mind about trading Hernandez.

The Philadelphia Phillies willingness to trade Cliff Lee, and the Red Sox willingness to deal Josh Beckett shows how much each team wants to restructure their finances, according to the New York Post’s Joel Sherman. Sherman also notes that the New York Yankees are unlikely to make a big move. Read the rest of this entry »

A major league source indicated that the Philadelphia Phillies, who have been watching the Boston Red Sox a lot lately, may be more interested in rookie third baseman Will Middlebrooks than veteran Kevin Youkilis. The Phillies are looking to get younger, especially if they deem this season a washout at some point. It doesn’t appear the Red Sox would have interest in dealing Middlebrooks, though.

PCPTAKE: It’s easy to see why the Phllies would be more interested in Middlebrooks than an aging Kevin Youkilis. The question is would the Red Sox be willing to deal him. If so, the Phillies definitely have the pieces that it would take to get such a deal done. The team is in desperate need of a young bat and should be willing

Multiple sources have indicated that the Philadelphia Phillies are shopping free agent to be, right fielder Jayson Werth in the hopes of acquiring a top notch starter to round out their rotation. If such a trade were not to occur and the team were to fall out of playoff contention, expect Werth to be shopped for prospects as the trade deadline approaches. According to reports the team has already been informed that the Yankees, Red Sox and Rays all have significant interest.

Werth, 31 years old, is hauling in $7.5 million this year while batting .277 with 13 homers and 48 RBIs. He has slumped as of late. Any trade that would occur in the near future would be of particular interest, as it would involve two playoff hopeful clubs looking to exchange pieces. Javier Vasquez is the name that has come up most frequently, though I don’t see that as being a likely scenario. If Werth were to be moved it would clear the path for the team’s minor league phenom Dominic Brown to move up to the big club and become an everyday player.

With two outs in the bottom of the 11th inning, in the third consecutive extra innings game played by Phils, Greg Dobbs just hit a monster shot over the right field foul pole. 1st base umpire Jim Joyce took a long look at the blast and, after some consternation, ruled it foul. Phils skipper Charlie Manuel came out to argue the ruling and ask for it to go to replay. His request was refused.

The ball appeared to be fair, judging by the replay shown on Comcast. The camera angle for that replay certainly wasn’t ideal and, on it’s own, probably wouldn’t have provided conclusive evidence. Nonetheless, if you have the technology and are now allowed to do so, why not take a look at the replay? Perhaps baseball is going to have to follow the NFL’s lead and allow for a coach’s challange!

You may be surprised to find out that…the American League Championship Series is not over! With a 3-1 lead in the series and a commanding 7-0 lead in the seventh inning I’m sure many went to bed, tuned out, fired up some porn, or what you have you. They will be surprised to learn that the Boston Red Sox completed the second largest come from behind victory in postseason history (largest since 1929). The Sox scored four in the seventh, including a 3 run run round tripper by David Ortiz. In the eighth, they tacked on three more to tie the game, including a two run shot from J.D. Drew. Drew then broke the tie in the ninth with a single to right field that scored Kevin Youkilis. The series will head back to Tampa on Saturday. The Rays now have a 3-2 lead.

With the 2008 post season and Frank Caliendo spots in full swing, some of the premier players in the game take center stage. Everyone knows the kinds of years the likes of Chase Utley, Manny Ramirez, CC Sabathia, and Dustin Pedroia had. They are the stars of the game. Even if their respective teams weren’t in the playoffs, the common baseball fan would be familiar with their stats.

Ugueth Urbina is tearing it up in the Venezuelan Penal League. Who Knew?

But what about the other guys? What about the players who had great years but no one really seemed to notice because they played on Baltimore or Kansas City? Hell, even middle relievers on good teams don’t get noticed. Living in Boston, I hear so many times, “Wow, I had no idea how good J.C. Romero has been for the Phillies. He sucked on the Sox!”

Well my goal here is to point out some of those players who have flown under the radar in 2008. Here it is, the 2008 MLB All-Under-the-Radar Team.

Manny Ramirez was traded at the deadline in a three way trade with the Pittsburgh Pirates and Los Angeles Dodgers. In the trade, Ramirez went to the Dodgers, Jason Bay to the Red Sox, and the Pirates received Andy Laroche, Brandon Moss, Craig Hansen, and Bryan Morris. A three way trade had been rumored to the Florida Marlins, but fell through this morning and the Dodgers entered the equation.

This trade truly shows just how desperate the Red Sox were to rid themselves of Ramirez, as Moss and Hansen are both top prospects. Bay does have one more year on his contract at just 7.5 million. After weeks of rumors surrounding whether the Pirates would or would not trade Bay, this deadline deal has brought them a very nice haul of young players who are major league ready.